Force Passage
by Ticklesivory
Summary: Obidala...of course! Force apparition QuiGon teaches ObiWan how travel through time in order to change the future. But changing the past always comes with complications.
1. Chapter 1

**_Force Passage_**

**Chapter One**

In the distance, a sandstorm was moving away, swallowing up the dunes and ravines laying in its path. Obi-Wan Kenobi stood on the edge of the cliff near his modest shelter watching the storm and voiced a loud "humph." For once, since coming to this despicable planet, something was going his way.

He hated this place and who could blame him? He had been forced to come here only to relive his failures over and over. Exiled to the very planet he had vowed never to return to.

Tatooine.

Only the duty of watching over Anakin's son, Luke, and the occasional visit with the Force spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn kept him breathing, moving, and from going completely insane in this desolate place.

Mostly.

There were times that he wondered about his sanity. His isolation was still fresh, having only been living here a few months. In that short however, he had already established routines such as drinking a cup of hot tea while watching the twin suns of Tatooine fade away to reveal the deep darkness of the desert nights.

Now, was one of those moments of questionable sanity.

Just before the sun disappeared beneath the mounds of sand, Obi-Wan could have sworn he could see swirling lights on the horizon, in shades of blue, purple, red and green.

There were no gases on Tatooine to cause the phenomenon, at least that he knew of. It had occurred two nights in a row now, and he couldn't explain it.

When the sun set, the atmospheric hues disappeared, leaving only the stark chill of the starlit evening.

Obi-Wan wrapped his plain dark robe closer about him. Maybe Qui-Gon would know what those lights were. He should call upon him and ask him.

Obi-Wan dumped the cold remains of his tea upon the ground and turned to walk down the short incline leading to his small desert hovel.

Contacting Qui-Gon was new as well. It took great effort and concentration, and frankly, he was too tired tonight. Not that he had performed any daunting physical tasks this day. He found himself to be mentally tired. Tired of the 'what-ifs' that plagued his daytime thoughts as well as his dreams.

"If only…" he spoke aloud as he entered his modest shelter.

"If only…what?"

Obi-Wan spun around in surprise. Qui-Gon had never appeared without being requested to, but his glowing image stood in the corner of the common room nonetheless.

"You frightened me." Obi-Wan blurted out before a small smile appeared on his face. Whether his presence was requested or not, his Master was always a welcome sight.

"I apologize." Qui-Gon replied as his ghostly form moved to a small seating area built into the wall. Obi-Wan sat down opposite of him.

"You were saying, padawan?"

Obi-Wan's smile broadened at the reference. Having been knighted right after Qui-Gon's death and holding the status of Master for many years, others might have considered the term an insult, but to Obi-Wan it was endearing. In his mind, the term 'padawan' was another word for 'son.'

"Nothing important." Obi-Wan answered with a small sigh, relaxing into his seat. Communing with Qui-Gon this way always seemed to lift his spirits.

"Obi-Wan." Returned the somewhat stern response.

The Jedi ran a hand through his auburn hair now traced with silver and beard, leaned back against the wall and looked out the small window. "If only…" he began. "If only I had listened better to the Force, perhaps chosen the right path…things would have turned out differently."

"The Force directs us to many paths." Qui-Gon responded, his voice low and soft, but still holding the familiar mentoring quality. "You chose one of many paths and how can you say that the one you did choose was not the right one?"

Obi-Wan turned to face Qui-Gon with an incredulous look. "Not the right one? How can you say that, Master? Look at what has happened!" He shook his head in disbelief. "If I knew then what I know now."

The flickering blue eyes gazed at the knight steadily. "What would you do?" He prompted.

"I would do things differently." Obi-Wan replied without hesitation as he met his former Master's gaze.

"Like what for example?"

Obi-Wan swallowed the lump that had quickly formed in his throat. "Stop that murdering Sith from…"

But Qui-Gon halted his words with an upheld palm. "I have no regrets, Obi-Wan. My destiny was fulfilled."

Obi-Wan once more shook his head. He didn't wish to hear that. He refused to believe that the Force had willed that Qui-Gon would be taken from him, especially at such a crucial time – just prior to beginning Anakin's training.

Anakin.

Obi-Wan focused on the once-promising young man, now destroyer of the Republic and the Jedi Order. Darth Vader, he was rumored to be called, was indeed alive and well, and wreaking havoc all over the galaxy searching to destroy any remnants of the Jedi.

If only…

Obi-Wan's mind raced back to the duel on Mustafar. The outcome of that fight would definitely be one thing he would change.

Or would he? He couldn't kill him before. He had even tried to warn Yoda that he couldn't – that he wouldn't. Anakin was like a brother to him. He loved him.

No. He couldn't kill him, even if he did have the chance to face him once more on that firey pit of a planet.

Perhaps if he had done something different during his training...

Obi-Wan glanced back out the lone window and frowned. This line of thinking was a waste of time.

He chuckled at the thought. Time, it seemed, was the only thing he had plenty of out here in this wasteland. So why not waste it?

Qui-Gon looked at him peculiarly following his short laugh. "So tell me, Obi-Wan. What would you do differently?"

"Lots of things."

Mostly dealing with Anakin, Obi-Wan kept to himself. Maybe if they had never found the boy, things would be better.

"It is time, then." Qui-Gon replied, standing up from his chair, placing his hands deep within the sleeves of his robe.

"Time for what?"

"Time to show you how to visit the past in order to change the future, padawan."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"_Time to show you how to visit the past in order to change the future, padawan." _

"What are you talking about Qui-Gon?" Obi-Wan asked with a partial smirk that he quickly erased upon noticing the sternness of his Master's countenance.

"An opportunity the Force has granted you."

Obi-Wan moved hastily from his seat to follow the tall, bluish form that had quickly moved through the doorway. He stole up to Qui-Gon's side, who had taken his recently vacated stance on the cliff edge.

"Those lights you've been seeing at sunset." The Force image began, ignoring the nearby bellow of a bantha. Obi-Wan immediately alerted himself to the exact location of his lightsaber, which he had laid on the chair by the cookstove inside. A call of a bantha meant that the ruthless, nomadic sandpeople were near. Qui-Gon however, continued without faltering.

"They are a sign for you, padawan."

"For me? I don't understand." Obi-Wan admitted.

"Tell me. What colors have you seen in the sky?" Qui-Gon questioned, still peering out onto the moonlit desert plains.

"Blue, green, red mostly. Sometimes purple."

"And do these colors remind you of anything?"

Obi-Wan sighed softly in frustration, quickly reminding himself that he was no longer a teenage padawan, even though sometimes, in his Master's presence, that was exactly the way he felt.

"Well," He replied slowly as he reached for his center in order to control his emotions. "They just so happen to be the colors of the crystals that power lightsabers."

Qui-Gon remained silent as he usually did when an answer was supposedly obvious enough for Obi-Wan to see. As usual, however, the younger Jedi failed to make the connection.

"It's your doorway, padawan." The apparition explained with his typical patient demeanor. "The Force is providing you a way to change the past, but only for a short time. As long as those colors fill the sky, the door will remain open."

"How long will that be?"

"I cannot say. It has not been revealed to me."

Obi-Wan turned to gaze at the flickering image of his previous Master, attempting to gauge the seriousness of his words. Qui-Gon had never been one known to pull pranks, but maybe becoming one with the Force had changed him…

"I am most serious, Obi-Wan."

The words silenced his thoughts and Obi-Wan cursed under his breath, turning his attention back to the rising double moons. "Then what do you know? How do I find this door you speak of, and when I do – how am I supposed to go through it? And once I do, how do I get back?"

Still staring at the night sky, Obi-Wan missed the small smile that turned up Qui-Gon's mouth.

"During the time when the nightsky is filled with colors, you must enter a deep trance. Focus on what you want to change and the Force will deliver you to that point in time."

Obi-Wan did turn his head then, the impossibility and outrageousness of the suggestion widening his eyes. "And how do I return?"

"When an alteration has been achieved, the Force will bring you back to this moment in time. I will be waiting for you here and will explain exactly what changes have occurred due to your actions."

Obi-Wan mulled silently over the words that Qui-Gon had spoken, wanting to believe that it would be as easy as that. That with just a simple trance, he could visit the past and change the outcome of the future – for the better. But the whole thing sounded completely crazy.

"You must trust me, Obi-Wan. I would not misinform you or lead you astray."

A hand came up to his shoulder and although Obi-Wan missed the comforting warmth the gesture had once brought, he was satisfied to feel a slight tingle in its place.

Qui-Gon was right of course, and although he doubted the possibility of time travel, the prospect of it was intriguing. And besides that, he trusted Qui-Gon implicitly. He always had.

With that realization, Obi-Wan nodded his head and Qui-Gon smiled.

"I will return tomorrow evening at dusk."

The blue haze of his former Master faded into the blackness of the cold desert evening surrounding him, but it was several hours before Obi-Wan returned to the warmth of his home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Obi-Wan placed the meager dinner dishes in the strainer to dry, glancing out the window that faced the cliff outside of his home. It would be dusk soon and he found himself excited as well as dreading it at the same time.

A night's lack of sleep had done little to ease his mind. Following Qui-Gon's departure the prior evening, he ended up either standing or sitting up the entire night contemplating his many choices. He had many questions that he could not find answers to.

"_There are many paths…" _his Master had said. In his thinking, Obi-Wan had obviously chosen the wrong path before.

How would he know which was the right one?

What would stop him from being wrong again?

Would his intrusion make things better or worse?

"It couldn't much worse than this." He mumbled as he kicked at the sand that inevitably piled upon his front doorstep on a daily basis and made his way to the cliff's edge.

Even with the advantage of hindsight, he wasn't exactly sure at which point in time would be the most opportunistic -- where he would have the most positive impact. So much had gone wrong. Could he alone make it right?

Throughout the day in his struggle for guidance in the matter, the Force seemed adamant only about one thing – apparently the key to changing the past.

Anakin Skywalker.

Somehow, Obi-Wan had to stop him from turning to the Dark Side. It was his turn that started this whole mess. He had been the one to lead the destruction of the Jedi Temple and the entire Jedi Order.

Being his Master, Obi-Wan had been the biggest influence on Anakin's life. When was it that his influence had failed?

Anakin had always been somewhat rebellious, Obi-Wan recalled. But Master Yoda had been quick to remind him that when he, himself was a padawan, he was much the same. Independent, stubborn, sometimes too outspoken for his own good. He had just thought it was part of growing up. Typical teenage behavior. Now, he wasn't so sure that's all it was.

Obi-Wan looked out across the horizon as the the first colorful changes of the night sky began to appear. It was too late for second guesses. Now was the time to make up his mind.

It seemed to Obi-Wan that the first sign of Anakin's struggle with his committment to the Jedi occurred on Geonosis, during the beginning of the Clone Wars. It was obvious to him now that he looked back upon it. The boy was being pulled between his duty to the Jedi and his feelings for Padmé.

Maybe he should have taken the time to discuss the 'no attachment' rule more in depth and not just demand his padawan's obedience, threatening expulsion from the Order.

But there had been little time for talk. They had fought with Dooku, following which Anakin entered rehab for his prosthetic arm. After that, his apprentice had escorted Padmé back to Naboo for safekeeping.

And then it became clear. He should have never left him alone after his rehab. The boy was obviously in a weakened state, both in spirit and body. He had found the comfort and support he needed in her arms and after his Master's verbal chastisement on board the Republic gunship, Obi-Wan didn't blame him. He hadn't been very understanding or supportive.

He would go back to that time and talk some sense into the young man, reaffirm his dedication to the Jedi and perhaps save his arm as well.

His mind made up, Obi-Wan focused up and into the horizon, kneeling down upon the rocky outcropping. He stretched his mind out into the Force and allowed himself to lapse into a deep trance. The blue thread lacing its way across the darkening sky leapt toward him in a wave until it came down upon him, encircling his body and wrapping itself loosely about him, transporting him back to Geonosis, to a gunship loaded with clone troopers and Jedi.

"Master? Are you all right?"

Obi-Wan opened his eyes to see Anakin's young and determined face, the padawan braid trailing onto his shoulder. A slight grin appeared on the Jedi Master. It was good to see Anakin again this way. The grin disappeared quickly however as Anakin shot him a strange look and the gravity of the situation hit home.

He glanced about the ship which was barrelling its way toward the hangar where Dooku would make his escape. Anakin's face was tight with restrained aggression and frustration and Padmé was nowhere to be seen.

She had fallen from the ship when it had been struck by blaster fire and Anakin had wanted to go after her, but he had stopped him.

A little later than he had wanted to arrive, but at least he was here. Perhaps there was time to repair any of the damage he had already done with his inconsiderate statements.

What had he said? _"You will be expelled from the Jedi Order! Come to your senses..." _The words came back to him rapidly and in his memory seemed toecho about the ship's hold. He frowned as the inconsiderate nature of those words stung him.

No time for talking about it now, they had reached Dooku's secret hangar.

Knowing now how powerful with the Dark Side Dooku had become, Obi-Wan was more wary in their fight, determined to protect himself and Anakin.

But the struggle to remember what had actually occurred and what was occurring now conflicted in his mind and along with the intensity of the battle, Obi-Wan lost his concentration and ended up exactly where he had before, with Anakin lying against his leg, dismembered and unconscious.

The rest of the scene became a blur as Yoda appeared and Dooku escaped.

Obi-Wan hissed in frustration. A lot of good this had done!

He quickly tamped down his frustration. He still had time to make a difference.

As soon as Anakin stood up, he looked for Padmé running across the hangar and intercepted her immediately before she could reach Anakin.

"He'll be fine." He excused her with a brush of his hand. "We need to get him to a medic as soon as possible." He then put his arm around his wounded apprentice, practically shoving aside the Naboo senator as he limped toward the exit.

The next day, he found himself sitting once more in the rehab unit back on Coruscant, watching over Anakin's prosthetic training. He had adapted to the robotic arm quickly without any infection or side effects, just as before. But unlike before, when Yoda came and requested that Anakin escort Padmé back to Naboo to keep her safe for a few more days, he would refuse to allow it. He would take her himself.

"I will give my report to the Council and then I will leave. I insist upon it." Obi-Wan said to the speechless and somewhat stunned Council Member. "Anakin needs to stay and rest. He's still recuperating. I'll take the senator to Naboo and return in a few days."

Confident and grinning, two hours later, he strode aboard the private transport that would be taking Senator Amidala back to the Naboo Lake Country, unaware of the fury that awaited him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Obi-Wan entered the coordinates for the trip to Naboo and then rotated his chair in order to face his passenger.

He could not help but smile when he looked at Padmé Amidala. The last time he had seen her, her face had been contorted in pain – both from childbirth and heartbreak. Now that he looked back, he was amazed he had never realized what had been occurring right under his nose. Her strength and vivacity had dwindled over the years he had known her, but her beauty had remained.

His eyes took in her form, noting all of her sensuous curves and lovely face.

There was something else he had never noticed before. She really was a beautiful woman. No wonder his apprentice had feelings for her.

"What are you smiling at?"

The semi-harsh tone of her words caught Obi-Wan off guard.

Was she upset at him? Irritated perhaps? Just because he had taken Anakin's place on this trip?

Obi-Wan hid his surprise with a swipe of his hand across his beard and mouth. Indeed, as he did so, he could sense her disappointment. Perhaps there was more to Anakin and Padmé's relationship at this point than he had figured.

"Just happy to be in the presence of such a beautiful lady." He stated suddenly without much thought, before turning quickly in his chair to look at the viewscreen and hide the horror written across his face. _What had possessed him to say such a thing!_

He missed the equally shocked look of the young Senator.

Padmé stood, gawking at the older Jedi and stepped away a few steps, only to turn around toward Obi-Wan once more.

"Why did you insist on taking me to Naboo?"

Obi-Wan looked down at his hands, gripping them into tight fists.

No time to mince words or play games. He had to be blunt. He had to make a difference while he could.

"You are endangering Anakin's future." He stated solemnly and seriously.

Her silence following his accusation spoke louder than any words she could have uttered.

In his peripheral sight, Obi-Wan saw Padmé slowly reclaim her seat, her voice now much less demanding, and much more quieter.

"How….how did you know?"

Turning to face her, Obi-Wan met her gaze steadily. "He's my padawan."

Padmé took a moment to think over his reply and then shook her head in acknowledgement.

"How far has your relationship gotten?" The Jedi Master leaned forward in order to watch her response and hear her voice, which had softened dramatically.

"We were going to be married on Naboo."

Eyebrows arched, Obi-Wan threw an uncharacteristic punch into his open hand, which drew a startled look from the young woman. He congratulated himself silently. Thank the Force! He had taken the right path! He had stopped the wedding! Now all he had to do was to convince them that their relationship was not possible.

"Padmé," He began. "The Jedi Code forbids attachments."

"I know that." She interrupted bluntly, staring at the ship's floor.

"Then how can you risk your future?"

"Because we love each other!"

Ah, young love. He had read about it, never understood it. It excused all manners of self-indulgence and bad decisions, oftentimes leading to tragic ends. But not this time. This time was going to be different.

Although not that experienced with the workings of the heart, Obi-Wan knew that he was dealing with a delicate situation. He must proceed with caution.

"Are you insane? He blurted out loudly, while throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Nothing good can come of this! Think it through! He's the Chosen One for Force sake! He has dedicated his life to the Jedi. He has a destiny to fulfill! He must destroy the Sith! Do you honestly think he can do that with a wife tying him down?"

Okay. That was much more stern than he had intended, but he needed his message to be clear. He wanted to shame them both – bring Padmé to her senses. She seemed to be such a responsible and sensible young woman.

"He is not a child any more Master Kenobi!" Her voice matched his in intensity and volume. "Even though you treat him as one! He is strong, sensitive, funny, and kind. And at least he's human, which is more than I can say for you!"

Hands on her hips, Padmé had taken a stand, stretching up to her full height.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Obi-Wan asked, somewhat affronted by her accusation.

"It means, that no matter how you and your precious Order have tried to turn him into this unemotional, unfeeling, stoic Jedi like yourself, he has somehow managed to remain the lovable and caring person he was meant to be – and I love him for it."

Obi-Wan stared at the young woman in silence, his mouth slightly agape. He knew he had to come up with a sensible and sufficient comeback, but his mind was drawing a blank. Padmé spoke again before he had chance to say a word.

"Anakin is a grown man and is capable of making his own decisions, as am I. When we reach Naboo, Captain Typho will escort me. I no longer need your assistance, Master Kenobi."

"But I…" Obi-Wan argued, but his words went unheard as Padmé had turned and stormed from the bridge.

She fired me?

That didn't go as well as he had planned. Maybe Anakin would be more receptive, Obi-Wan thought. After all, he was his Master. The boy had no choice but to take his advice….didn't he?


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Summarily dismissed from Naboo by both the senatorial representative and ultimately the Queen of Naboo herself, Obi-Wan was soon on a transport back to Coruscant in search of his padawan.

Time travel had done little to restore the now quiescent training bond he had once shared with his apprentice, and the truth was, he had no idea where to find him. A suspicious-looking initiate informed him when he arrived at the temple that Anakin was in training room seven.

When Obi-Wan arrived, Anakin had just bested two of three padawans and was awaiting the third to spar. The young man frowned when he noticed his Master approaching.

"Anakin, we need to talk."

The tension between the Master and apprentice was nearly palpable and the other three padawans quickly made their exit from the room.

"What are you doing here Master? You're supposed to be on Naboo." The youth placed his lightsaber back on his belt and moved to pick up his discarded robes.

"Senator Amidala…no longer requires my assistance."

A small smirk crossed Anakin's face, which Obi-Wan could not quite read. "Is that so?"

Was that sarcasm?

Anakin then began walking away as if to leave the area and his Master behind.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Obi-Wan asked in an irritated tone.

"Nowhere from the looks of it."

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. Here they went again. The same old argument – Anakin claiming that his Master was holding him back, keeping him from becoming the all-powerful Jedi he was destined to be.

"I didn't insist upon this mission because I thought you were incapable of handling it, Anakin."

"Then why did you?" The blue eyes focused on him with such scrutiny that Obi-Wan immediately went on the defensive. Who was the Master here anyway?

"Because you are risking not only your future, but the future of the entire galaxy!"

The young man's gaze squinted in anger as Anakin approached his Master. "What did you say to her?"

But Obi-Wan stood his ground, lifting his chin to meet the defiance he was witnessing. "I told her not to interfere with your training and to stay away from you so that you can fulfill your destiny. There will be no wedding."

"You have no right." Anakin hissed in reply, standing toe to toe with his mentor.

"No right! I have every right! Your training, your safety, your future – all of it is my responsibility! You are my padawan!"

Obi-Wan tried to touch Anakin on a personal level with the use ofa term that he had cherished for many years, but the anger behind the young man's eyes did not diminish.

"Not any more."

"What do you mean?" But Obi-Wan was afraid he knew exactly what Anakin meant.

"I'm not your padawan any more."

Fine, Obi-Wan thought for a second. Maybe a change in masters will be good for the boy, change his attitude. Maybe someone else will train him better, keep him in the Light.

"I'm sure someone else will be happy to continue with your training, if that is what you want." Obi-Wan was surprised at how much saying those words actually hurt him.

"That's not what I mean." Anakin paused, and reached down to remove his lightsaber. "I'm leaving the Jedi."

Obi-Wan huffed softly in reply, staring at the young man, hoping that he was joking.

"You can't be serious." He stated with a grin.

"Oh, but I am. I love Padmé more than anything and if you force me to choose between the Jedi and her, I'm afraid she wins Master."

Obi-Wan's mouth dropped open in disbelief, his mind grasping for something to say to change Anakin's mind. "You can't do this. I forbid it."

Instead of the response he had hoped for, aggression, anger – something he knew from experience how to handle concerning his apprentice, Anakin merely smiled and handed over his lightsaber. "Too late."

Obi-Wan numbly reached for the weapon and watched in stunned silence as his apprentice turned and left the training arena.

Suddenly, the room was filled with a glowing light of blue that ribboned about the walls, eventually encircling the Jedi Master to draw him away.

Obi-Wan realized that the Force was taking him back. A change in the future apparently had been made. He just hoped it was a change for the better.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

As if awakening from a deep sleep, Obi-Wan felt somewhat disoriented following his transportation back in time. He opened his eyes slowly to discover he was once more on the rocky ledge overlooking the desert plains. In the distance, the threads of Force colors diminished in the sky with the sinking of the orange Tatooine suns. However, the blue hue was not among them. Obi-Wan made note of that. He would need to ask Qui-Gon what it meant.

Where was Qui-Gon anyway?

Before he had finished the thought, the ghostly apparition appeared to the left of Obi-Wan, standing tall and looking out over the vast plain.

"You know what I did." Obi-Wan stated solemnly, hoping he would not have to explain, but Qui-Gon affirmed with a nod.

"I do."

Obi-Wan waited patiently for further explanation, but received none. His curiousity soon got the better of him and he could not contain his irritation. "Well?"

Qui-Gon turned slowly and Obi-Wan could not help but notice the look of disappointment on his former Master's face. "Your actions created a great many changes, padawan."

Good? Bad? Indifferent?

"And?" Obi-Wan prompted after Qui-Gon's obvious hesitation.

An ethereal hand swept out over the plains, opening a vision shaded in blue of destruction, chaos, and darkness. The final image of the vision was the Jedi Temple in ruins, and the nightmarish scene of dead Jedi lying everywhere inside – just as before.

Obi-Wan slumped visibly in disappointment. He apparently had not made a difference after all. But what had happened?

"Anakin left the Jedi Order and was immediately hired as Chancellor Palpatine's personal bodyguard. He and Padmé married immediately."

The younger Jedi sighed with a shake of his head. He had held onto the slight hope that Anakin had changed his mind and stayed with the Jedi, but instead, he had thrown his apprentice right into the path of the most dangerous and evil being in the galaxy – Darth Sidious. In his focus to guide Anakin away from his obsession with Senator Amidala, he had completely overlooked the chancellor's influence on the young man.

Sith! How could he be so stupid?

"What about Padmé?" He asked as he rubbed a frustrated hand over his face.

"Senator Skywalker was involved in many of the chancellor's…shall we say, more questionable political maneuvers, and they eventually overthrew the Republic and destroyed the Jedi."

"Padmé helped Palpatine?" Obi-Wan's voice was laden with disbelief.

"She and Anakin apparently held quite a grudge against the Jedi, which makes me wonder. What in the stars did you say to her, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan's hand once more ran over his face and then vigorously rubbed his eyes. He suddenly felt…old.

"Nothing that I thought would cause her to react in such a way."

So, everything was basically the same as it was before. But as Qui-Gon continued, Obi-wan realized that actually, it was much worse.

"Anakin killed Sidious and became the Sith Master. Padmé gave birth to a son they named Luke. He will someday be predecessor to the Sith Empire. Anakin is training him the ways of the Dark Side."

Obi-Wan felt sick. Not only had he pushed Anakin out of the Jedi Order much earlier than it had actually happened, but he had destroyed the only hope for the future that the Jedi had, by exposing Luke to his father and the Dark Side of the Force.

The last of the colored filaments were barely visible across the dimming skyline and Obi-Wan noticed that Qui-Gon was beginning to fade along with them.

"I only have three more chances, don't I?" He said quickly with sudden realization before Qui-Gon disappeared altogether.

"Yes." The reply was barely audible – a fading whisper against the advancing darkness.

"Make the best of them, padawan."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The following evening found Obi-Wan facing the sunset with trepidation written across his bearded and worn features. In this new reality he had created, the Dark Side was much stronger than even before. The Force had been heavily clouded and he found meditation quite difficult. Obi-Wan, for the first time in his life was facing a future without the guidance the Force had always provided him.

Instead, he found himself relying upon his instincts, and his instincts were now telling him that his Master was wrong.

It was much more clear to him following his first Force passage through time. The problem wasn't Anakin's relationship with Padmé, but with him.

He should have never trained the boy. He wasn't ready. He was too young, too inexperienced.

The training of the Chosen One should have been performed by the only person who could have done it. The one person in the entire galaxy who believed in Anakin from the start.

Qui-Gon.

Resolved to do what needed to be done, despite his former Master's wishes, Obi-Wan slumped once more onto the sandy soil, reaching out to what little of the Force he could grasp. He sighed with relief when the distant colors in the sky began to shift and perform their dance across the horizon. However, his smile quickly changed to a grimace of worry, as he noted the one color that was moving toward him and encircling him was red.

The color of the Sith.

And he suddenly had a very bad feeling about this passage.

But without the guidance of the Force, he found that he didn't exactly trust his feelings any more, and besides, what did it matter? He knew what had to be done. It was so clear.

He had to go back and face Darth Maul once more, but this time, Qui-Gon would live, and he would train Anakin himself.

And finally, things would turn out the way they should have.

The red hue infiltrating his vision dissipated slowly, revealing a vaguely familiar wooded area beyond the ramp on which he stood. Having regained his senses completely, Obi-Wan stared ahead toward the tall, brown-robed individual standing in the fog that drifted up from the nearby swamp.

"Qui-Gon." He whispered into the early morning mist as a smile slowly spread across his face. It was a moment before Obi-Wan could move, literally forcing his feet to walk down the ramp. As he slowly made his way toward his Master, his hand reached up to feel the length of the padawan braid that hung down across his chest. The touch of it brought back many fond memories as well as regrets, one of them standing just inches away from him.

Upon reaching Qui-Gon's side, Obi-wan realized that he was still gaping at the older man, but seemingly was unable to stop himself. It was all he could to keep from bursting out in laughter due to the sheer joy of seeing Qui-Gon alive again. The look, however, that his Master shot him, withered away any feeling of giddiness and Obi-Wan shook himself free of his distracting elation.

What was wrong? Qui-Gon had often been strict and stern, but it seemed as if his Master was upset with him.

Obi-Wan contemplated on the past, working through figuring out the reason that would cause such a look to appear on Qui-Gon's face.

Oh yes. Now he remembered.

He had been irritated at his Master for wanting to take Anakin as his padawan learner. In fact, it had initially hurt Obi-Wan.

One moment, Qui-Gon was telling him he still had much to learn, and the next, he was being shoved aside for the precious 'chosen one.'

If his memory was now serving him correctly, it was time to make his apology.

"Master." Obi-Wan began humbly.

_Now what was it he had said? _

"I'm sorry for what I said about the boy. I have no right to interfere. You should him train him. He needs you."

Not exactly true to history, but close enough, Obi-Wan thought.

Qui-Gon's understanding smile warmed the younger Jedi's heart. "You have more right than anyone. You have been a good apprentice. You are much wiser than I am, Obi-Wan. I foresee you will become a great Jedi Knight."

_As you will make of Anakin, Master_. Obi-Wan thought to himself as he returned Qui-Gon's smile, relishing in the comforting warmth of his Master's hand upon his shoulder.

* * *

AN: Sorry these last few chapters are so short. I've got too many irons in the fire these days: ) 


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Obi-Wan watched and listened with a foreboding sense of deja-vu as Queen Amidala once more explained her plan for defeating the Trade Federation and capturing the Viceroy. Unlike before however, when he and his Master silently agreed, Obi-Wan chose not to stay silent.

When the Queen revealed her idea to enter the palace on the waterfall side, Obi-Wan snorted.

Padmé looked up from the palace hologram to glance at him curiously. "Do you have something to say Padawan Kenobi?"

"Yeah. Your plan is well-conceived and all that." The young Jedi barely refrained from rolling his eyes upward. "But you didn't account for the fact that the Viceroy will probably have plenty of droids still left in the palace and I hardly think a handful of guards and girls are enough to get through them all. I say we all stay here and fight with the gungan army and once the droids are defeated, move in on the city together and stay…together."

The young woman glanced from the young Jedi to the Master, obviously unsure of how to reply , until the Master, shaking his head in disbelief, urged her to continue.

But once more, she was interrupted by the padawan learner.

"Excuse me, your highness. I think that Master Qui-Gon should stay with the gungan army."

"Master," Obi-Wan continued, turning to face the taller mentor who now revealed a look of utter mortification. "I can accompany the queen into the palace. I really think that Anakin and you should stay here and help the gungans."

Qui-Gon glared at his padawan and without saying a word, turned to the queen. "We will both accompany you, your highness."

"But…" Obi-Wan managed to get out before Qui-Gon's icy stare silenced him.

"Both of us, your highness." He repeated gazing down at his padawan sternly.

With steps that echoed in Obi-Wan's memory, he found himself frantically trying to figure out how to stop their meeting with that Sith. It's not like he could order Qui-Gon around, but he would if he had to.

Suddenly, the hangar doors slid open to reveal the menacing Sith warrior that he now knew as Darth Maul.

He heard Padmé voice the words, "We'll take the long way" when Obi-Wan got an idea.

"Master. I really think we should stay with the queen. We can meet up with our tatooed friend here another time. Or better yet, let the queen and her guards take care of this Sith monster and we can take the long way around. Come on." He stated confidently, pulling on the sleeve of Qui-Gon's robe as he turned and began to walk in the direction that the queen and her guards had gone. His progression however, was stopped by a firm grip on his shoulder.

"Padawan!" The older man hissed. "What is wrong with you?"

Qui-Gon's eyes widened even further as Obi-Wan turned his attention back to their now-stalking and obviously impatient opponent. "If you'll please excuse us for a minute."

The absurdity of his statement didn't occur to Obi-Wan until the Sith's blade came to life and Obi-Wan realized with despair that they had no choice but to fight.

Quickly removing his robe and grabbing his own lightsaber, he moved in perfect sync with his Master as they began the fatalistic duel.

A mantra consisting of a series of "No's" played through Obi-Wan's mind as the fight progressed.

_No! No! I cannot allow this to happen! I must do something! _His inner voice screamed.

But before he knew it, they were on the catwalk that led up to the energy fields where he would be blocked off from Qui-Gon, and he realized that if he was going to do something, it had to be now.

With a loud cry, Obi-Wan rushed forward toward a surprised Maul and slammed his body fully into the horned being with such force that it sent them both flying off the catwalk together.

As he fell, Obi-Wan grimaced from pain, realizing that with his desperate move, Maul's saber had pierced his shoulder. But despite the pain, he held onto the being with all his might. He could hear his Master's anguished cry above him.

A smile soon crossed Obi-Wan's face as the air rushed by his and Maul's struggling and free-falling forms.

Better for me to die than Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan thought as he closed his eyes and prepared to become one with the Force.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

The first sensation that Obi-Wan felt was an awareness of loss. But not an emotional loss. As a Jedi, he had been prepared to give his life for the greater good, and in his mind, there was no greater reason to sacrifice his life than to save his Master – thus saving the future of the Jedi as well as the Republic.

The sense of loss he was experiencing was a loss of feeling in his lower extremities, as well as his upper.

Something wasn't right.

In the after-life of the Force, the spiritual body was supposed to be whole.

This could only mean one thing.

He was alive. Which raised one question. Was Qui-Gon?

His eyes opened slowly to discover that indeed he was once again inside his Tatooine hut. At first, everything appeared normal. He could hear the hum of the moisture evaporator outside and the low moaning calls of a distant dewback herd.

And then he glanced down to his legs and tried to stand, and discovered he couldn't.

There was no response whatsoever. There was none in his arms as well, except for a slight trembling movement of his fingers.

Panic threatened to take ahold of Obi-Wan's reasoning as he realized he was confined to a hoverchair. However, he quickly controlled that emotion and resolved to accept his fate as long as he had accomplished his goal and Qui-Gon had lived.

As if on cue, the shimmering blue form appeared before him, but instead of a look of gratefulness or peace that Obi-Wan expected, he looked into the face of his Master and saw weariness, fragility, and despair.

"How could you?" The words haunted the space between them.

"I did what I thought I had to." Obi-Wan replied, hoping that somehow things had turned out better, even though obviously, Qui-Gon had, at some time, passed into the Force.

"Obi-Wan." His Master spoke softly, his head dropping in grief. "I told you not to interfere with my death. Now things are much worse than before."

"How so? How could things possibly be worse? You died and Anakin turned to the Dark Side and destroyed the Jedi. How could things be worse than that?"

Obi-Wan waited a long while in silence as Qui-Gon appeared to be gathering his thoughts and centering himself.

His gaze still on the floor, speaking in a low voice, Qui-Gon began to explain history as Obi-Wan had rewritten it.

"When you fell and took the Sith warrior with you, the fall did indeed kill him, but you were paralyzed. The Council allowed you to stay in the Temple as a teacher. Anakin and myself however, were not so fortunate."

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan murmured, his heart once more filling with dread at his Master's words.

"Their original reason for not allowing me to train Anakin was only an excuse. We both knew there had been other Masters in the past who had taken on two padawan learners."

"Not to mention that the his training was too dangerous." Obi-Wan pointed out.

Qui-Gon looked up then, his eyes filled with pain that Obi-Wan recognized as regret. He knew that look well. It had been staring back at him in the mirror for many years.

"Not too dangerous for you, Obi-Wan, only too dangerous for me."

"That's absurd." The younger Jedi blurted out. "You were the best Master the Jedi had."

A small grinned appeared on the ghostly face. "Thank you, Obi-Wan. I realize now that the Force brought you and I together, which is obviously why our relationship worked and you became the Knight you are…were." Qui-Gon corrected himself as he looked at the hoverchair. "But as I tried to explain to you before, training Anakin was not my destiny. It was yours."

Obi-Wan shook his head, chewing his lip roughly. He longed to run a hand through his beard and hair as was his habit, but discovered he was unable to do so.

"Tell me what happened." He asked in an anguished voice.

"I'll show you."

Qui-Gon's hand swept out in front of him and the room filled with a glowing red light. Images began to appear and voices filled Obi-Wan's small home.

He watched as the Jedi Council appeared and heard their words as they denied Qui-Gon permission to train Anakin. He then witnessed Qui-Gon's defiant outburst, his Master claiming that he would take Anakin away and train him on his own without their permission.

Qui-Gon's long-time friend and council member, Mace Windu, attempted to talk some sense into the Jedi Master, but Qui-Gon was adamant that Anakin was the chosen one and he left Coruscant with the boy.

Obi-Wan frowned as he observed the years pass and saw Qui-Gon struggle on his own while he trained Anakin to use the Force. Many of the same trials that Obi-Wan had gone through with the boy were present. Teaching him to control his aggression, his anger, to rely upon the Force in all things, the nightmares Anakin had suffered from. They were all there, and Qui-Gon had to face them on his own, without the support of any other Jedi.

The training visions faded to reveal a conversation between Mace Windu and Master Yoda, and Obi-Wan listened in horror as the eldest Jedi informed his comrade of reports coming in that Qui-Gon and Anakin had formed a rebellion against the Jedi and the Republic. They had not turned to the Dark Side yet, but the possibility of them doing so in the near future was great.

It was now obvious to Yoda that Anakin was a threat to the Jedi and must be destroyed.

And Mace Windu would be the one sent to do it.

The vision then revealed a terrible lightsaber battle between Qui-Gon and Mace Windu with Qui-Gon ultimately disarming his friend and opponent, holding his green lightsaber centimeters from Windu's throat, the struggle between choosing between his apprentice and his friend revealed in his face.

The chilling words, "Kill him, Master. Do it!" in Anakin's voice filled the air and Obi-Wan watched in horror as Anakin's blue 'saber eventually decapitated the defenseless and kneeling Jedi Master.

Concentrating on the dazed and shocked look appearing on his Qui-Gon's face, Obi-Wan was startled as another form dressed in a robe of black entered the scene and in a raspy voice, informed Anakin that he had done his job well and now he needed to fulfill his destiny, kill his Master, and take his place at his side.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. He didn't wish or need to see any more.

The sound of one lightsaber igniting and a single blow, followed by a soft thud of a body falling to the floor confirmed the worst.

Anakin was the one who had taken Qui-Gon's life.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes to look across at his Master through a veil of tears.

"You see, Obi-Wan? I had to follow my own destiny. The Force, however, has given you an opportunity that no one has ever had before. An opportunity to change your destiny and make it better."

Qui-Gon then stood and tucked his hands into the sleeves of his robe. "You have two more chances to discover what your destiny truly should be, padawan. May the Force be with you."

The spirit of the Jedi Master faded into the darkness of Obi-Wan's common room, leaving him once more alone with thoughts of desperation and hopelessness.

Two more chances.

There was only one thing he hadn't tried yet. He had considered it his last resort, but apparently, the time had come.

If there wasn't a way to stop Anakin from turning to the Dark Side, then perhaps, it would have been better if they had never met the boy in the first place.


	10. Chapter 10

**ChapterTen**

By the time Obi-Wan had maneuvered his hoverchair outside of his home the following evening, the last two colors streaming across the horizon were already visible. Without hesitation, he concentrated on his Master's words and allowed his mind to slip into a trance.

When he re-opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was that he was standing and he had the feeling back in all his extremities. The next thing he noticed was the comforting length of the padawan braid that lay against his chest.

He glanced up immediately to see Jar-Jar Binks disappear through a doorway and then glanced back down a narrow corridor. The ship he discovered he was now on shuddered from an obvious outside attack and Obi-Wan remembered where and at what point he had arrived.

He smiled as he also realized that for once, he had traveled back to exactly the point in time he had wished to. Now, if only his other plans would work out as well.

In the cockpit of the Nubian ship were Qui-Gon, Captain Panaka, and Ric Olie, Queen Amidala's personal pilot. Ahead of them in space was the line of the Trade Federation blockade, and they were relentlessly firing upon the smaller vessel.

After hearing the announcement that the hyperdrive was leaking, Obi-Wan took his place at the navigational computer and began scanning for nearby systems where they could make an emergency landing But this time around, he would not be suggesting Tatooine.

"Here Master." He began as he pointed to the screen. "Anoat. It's virtually uninhabited."

"You mean, uninhabitable, padawan. It's infected by toxic waste. Find something else."

"How about Garqi? It's not too heavily populated. And it's purple." Obi-Wan noted with a smile.

Qui-Gon glared at him. "It also lacks basic technology."

"So?"

It took a moment for the Jedi Master to find the words to respond to his apprentice's uncharacteristic comment. "What if we need to purchase parts to fix the ship?"

"I'm sure I can fix whatever the trouble is, Master." Obi-Wan added with another grin.

The younger padawan felt a heavy release of breath against his neck as Qui-Gon leaned over him. "I'm sure you can, Obi-Wan." The words were low and measured. "But perhaps we should look for a planet that is a little more civilized."

Obi-Wan perused the data further, choosing to bring up the statistics of yet another remote planet in the Hutt System.

"Then how about Korriban, Master?"

"Absolutely not." His Master answered sharply.

"Why not?" Obi-Wan replied innocently.

Qui-Gon looked at his padawan as if he had grown two heads.

"Because it is the origin of the Sith training academy and is infected with the Dark Side! You know this!"

"Then how about Lok?"

"Not Lok."

"What's wrong with Lok?" Obi-Wan continued to argue.

"I'm not going to answer that question, Obi-Wan. You know why not."

"Just because it's considered a pirate world and the temperatures average over 120 degrees, give me another good reason."

"I will not continue this discussion, padawan."

"Excuse me, but are you two going to be making up your minds any time soon?" It was Captain Panaka who voiced the question from the co-pilot's seat as he sat staring at the two arguing Jedi.

"Yes, we are." Qui-Gon replied with a smirk before turning back toward his apprentice and leaning down to his ear. "Get up." The older man hissed.

"But Master…" Obi-Wan whined.

"Now padawan!" His tone was much more stern and it immediately put the younger Jedi in motion.

Obi-Wan grimaced as his Master took his previous seat and in no time had found a planet he deemed as suitable. A system outside of the Trade Federation's influence, controlled by the Hutts themselves.

And much to Captain Panaka's dismay, not to mention Obi-Wan's the matter was soon settled.

They would be landing on Tatooine.

It was a good thing he had a contingency plan this time around, Obi-Wan thought as the sand-colored planet came into view.

From the looks of things, he was going to be needing it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Qui-Gon donned a rough-textured poncho he had found on board in order to conceal his Jedi identity and prepared to enter Mos Espa, his goal being to purchase the needed parts to repair the ship. Obi-Wan watched him move about the small cabin, desperately trying to figure out some way to stop the fateful meeting between his Master and Anakin.

"I should be the one going into town, Master."

He waited for a reply, but Qui-Gon ignored him, walking past the younger Jedi and into the hall. However, not one to give up so easily, Obi-Wan was hot on his heels.

"It's so hot and dusty out there. I should be the one going. You should stay inside where you can be comfortable. I'll aquire the parts we need and be back here in no time."

And I'll steal them if I have to, Obi-Wan thought to himself as he followed his Master to the exit ramp, almost running into the taller man's back when Qui-Gon suddenly stopped.

The Jedi Master spun to glare down at him. "You will stay here Obi-Wan and protect the queen."

The look on Qui-Gon's face silenced any further argument, but the next words his Master spoke caused the apprentice's stomach to drop.

"And when I return, we will discuss your recent tendencies to argue with me. Perhaps it is time that we refresh your memory on proper etiquette and public behavior expected of a Jedi apprentice."

"Yes Master." Obi-Wan murmured in reply, memories of such "discussions" coming back to him that consisted of not so much talking, but hours of 'saber drills and seemingly endless calisthenics. He hadn't had to endure one of Qui-Gon's "discussions" since he was sixteen years old.

Qui-Gon walked down the ramp and was quickly followed by the gungan, Jar-Jar Binks.

"Excuse me."

Obi-Wan heard a masculrine voice behind him and moved out of the way for Captain Panaka who was escorting one of the handmaidens by the name of Padmé down the ramp as well.

Obi-Wan smiled in his knowledge. No mere handmaiden. He now knew it was the queen in disguise.

His smile widened as Obi-Wan had a idea that would perhaps enable him to kill two birds with one stone.

"Padmé!" He called after her and then she stopped and turned to face him.

"I need to speak with you for a moment. Alone." He added, meeting the gaze of Panaka, who then moved a bit further away.

"Yes?"

She's so young, thought Obi-Wan as he approached her. Young, brave, and beautiful. He had never really noticed that before, and he wondered why he was noticing it now. He continued staring until Panaka prompted him to speak.

"Hurry it up, Kenobi."

Obi-Wan glared at the security chief. He remembered the man to be a bit pushy, but not quite this rude. He then turned his attention back to the young woman and leaned forward to speak to her privately.

"Do you really think it's wise for the Queen of Naboo to be going into a town such as this?"

A quick flash of surprise appeared upon her face, quickly replaced by a look of determination.

"I will be in no danger. Don't you trust your Master?" She teased with a small grin.

Obi-Wan was somewhat taken aback by her humor. She had always seemed so serious before. Perhaps he didn't know her as well as he thought he had.

"Of course I do. I just think it would better if you stayed here on the ship where it's safe."

"I want to experience Mos Espa for myself. I've heard so much about it." She explained, though Obi-Wan sensed another reason for her insistence on accompanying Qui-Gon into town.

"Trust me." Obi-Wan replied. "There's not much to see."

"Padmé." Captain Panaka called out. "If you want to go with them, we need to speak with Master Qui-Gon right now."

"Be careful." Obi-Wan said. "And don't talk to any strangers." He added with a grin that was equally matched by Padmé.

However, his grin quickly faded upon realizing that if he didn't success with his plan this time, the young woman walking away from him now would suffer much heartache and pain. Her suffering was no less than his own in the future that lay ahead of them. Unless he could do something to change it.

He stood and watched as Qui-Gon, Jar-Jar, and Padmé made their way across the desert towards Mos Espa, and then looked up into the sky and wondered how long it would be until nightfall, at which point he would begin to carry out his plan.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Securing the ship once night had fallen, Obi-Wan secretly exited the vehicle and headed toward Mos Espa. Under the cover of darkness, as well as judicious application of the Force used for concealment, he made his way unnoticed to the slave district, where he began his search for the location of the home of young Anakin Skywalker.

If he couldn't stop Qui-Gon from meeting the boy, then perhaps he couild stop them from leaving the planet. Not that he wanted to stay on Tatooine, but keeping the boy stranded on the planetseemed like the best idea.

As he walked along the rows of modest buildings, he chuckled at the irony of the entire situation. It seemed that no matter what he did, fate always banished him to this horrible place.

Obi-Wan stealthily crept down an alley and made his way behind a row of dwellings, stopping suddenly when he spied the shadow of what appeared to be a racing pod parked behind one of the homes.

Unsure of whether this was the correct location or not, he decided to wait, hiding in the shadows in order to spy upon the inhabitants of the building. He did not have to wait long. Qui-Gon soon made his appearance along with Anakin himself.

His Master picked the child up and placed him the broad porch wall. Qui-Gon was talking to the boy, but Obi-Wan couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Whatever it was, he had Anakin's full attention. Now was the time.

Obi-Wan crouched down and crept along a low wall, finally reaching the pod and quickly located its engine. Removing the thruster mechanism should do the trick with minimal effort, he decided.

He was just about to do that very thing when he heard his name come across his comlink.

"Sith!" Obi-Wan hissed in a whisper. He had completely forgotten about Qui-Gon contacting him to do that damn midichlorian count!

Grabbing his comlink in order to muffle its sound, he could hear his Master continuing to repeat his name as he moved away as quickly as he could. Once he deemed he had moved far enough, he responded to Qui-Gon's call.

"Yes Master?"

"Where have you been Obi-Wan? I've been hailing you." Qui-Gon asked with a bit of impatience.

"Just…uhm….taking a walk Master. It's such a beautiful night." Obi-Wan's face crinkled in worry. He was sure that his Master would not accept such a lame excuse.

"You left the queen alone?"

"No! No Master. I'm right outside the ship. I…uhm..I was meditating and I didn't hear your call. Sorry."

Even though Obi-Wan could not see him, he just knew that Qui-Gon was wearing his suspicious face. The one that always said 'I'm not quite sure I believe you, padawan.'

"Well, get back on board." His Master answered somewhat irritatedly. "I'm sending you a blood sample to be analyzed."

Obi-Wan stamped his boot into the sand out of frustration for yet another of his plans foiled, and prepared to gather the Force in order to obtain his best possible enhanced running speed.

"Give me a minute."

And then he took off.

Less than a minute later, he sat in front of the science station terminal on board the Nubian vessel, out of breath, and commed Qui-Gon.

"Go ahead Master."

After giving Qui-Gon the information regarding Anakin's midichlorian count, Obi-Wan leaned back in the hard plastic seat and rubbed the sand out of his face and hair.

There was only one thing left that he could do and he hated the thought of it. It was underhanded and if his Master ever found out, he would never forgive him. But it wasn't like he had a choice. It was too risky to leave the ship again tonight.

He would have to wait until the podrace was over and Anakin had received his winnings.

Then he would make his move. He would go back into town and meet Anakin's mother for the very first time.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Finding the Mos Espa arena the next day was easy. It was by far the most expansive and busiest place in town. What Obi-Wan was finding difficult was keeping his shielding tight enough to conceal his presence there from Qui-Gon.

He wasn't sure at which point he could talk to Shmi alone, so he decided to stay hidden amongst the crowd and watch their group from afar, waiting for an opportunity to speak to her.

When the race reached its inevitable conclusion, Obi-Wan mingled with the fans gathered about the arena and staying hidden, waited while the congratulations were exchanged. He noticed then that Qui-Gon and Anakin had separated themselves from their party obviously leaving in order to obtain the boy's winnings. Padmé stood to one side of the building speaking to another young boy Obi-Wan did not recognize, and to his relief, Shmi soon left the vicinity.

Knowing that he would be expected to be back at the ship soon, he realized that he had only a few minutes and so he followed Shmi back to her dwelling. He stopped her just outside of her home.

"Shmi Skywalker?" When she turned, he did not hesitate continuing speaking after showing her his most genuine smile. "My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I am a Jedi Padawan to Master Qui-Gon Jinn. I need to speak with you about your son."

The woman standing before him appeared much older than she actually was. He could see it in her eyes. A life of hard labor and slavery had aged her prematurelyand the harsh environment of Tatooine had only added to it.

"Do you know Ani?" She eyed him up and down suspiciously.

"No, not yet, but I will soon." Obi-Wan stepped up closer to the woman, noting that she leaned backward slightly. She didn't trust him, that much was obvious. But he didn't have time to gain her trust. He must act quickly.

"I know that you love your son and you only want what's best for him, but if you allow Qui-Gon to take Anakin away, it will be the worse thing that you could possibly do.

Shmi narrowed her vision and backed away two steps, her facial expression changing from one to suspicion to now extreme caution.

"What are you talking about?"

Obi-Wan pursued once more, stepping forward, grasping gently onto her arm.

"I know this is difficult to hear, but I have seen the future and if Anakin becomes a Jedi, he will eventually destroy himself and the Republic by turning to the Dark Side of the Force. He will become the most evil villain in the galaxy. You are the only one who can stop it."

The woman jerked her arm away and began backing up quickly into her home. Obi-Wan followed her up into the doorway and stopped her once more.

"Get away from me!" She screamed as she reached around the corner of the door, attempting to find something to defend herself from the madman on her doorstep. "If my son has a chance to be free, then he deserves it! I will not let him to live the life of a slave."

"Then you will be condemning thousands of people to death." Obi-Wan announced bluntly, but Shmi shook her head fiercely in denial.

"I don't believe you. Ani would never hurt anyone. Please go away."

Shmi reached to shut the door, but Obi-Wan blocked it with his arm, sighed heavily and whispered "Forgive me," before passing his hand across the older woman's line of sight and muttered the words he hoped would change the future for the better.

* * *

AN: Forgive the shortness of these last few chapters. I've been really busy lately and have only had time to sit and write just a bit at a time. Thanks for being so patient. : ) 


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Obi-Wan did not realize the Force had transported him back to the future until he opened his eyes to see the blue face of his Master, mere centimeters from his own.

"Hurry, Obi-Wan. We don't have much time."

Qui-Gon's voice was frantic as he moved toward the door of the one-room Tatooine shelter.

"What are you talking about?" Rarely had his Master ever appeared frightened. He had always been so calm, and it sparked worry in Obi-Wan's heart. Not much time for what?

Obi-Wan moved to follow his Master out the door, but stopped right before his foot fell on the doorstep, a booming voice echoing across the rocky desert walls surrounding his home. It was a voice he recognized all too well, and it was screaming out his name.

"Anakin."

Obi-Wan quickly retrieved his lightsaber from the nearby cookstove and headed for the door. He had had enough of this. He would face his former apprentice one more time, and perhaps for the last time. But Qui-Gon materialized in the outer doorway, halting him in his stride.

"I know your intentions, padawan," He said quietly, "but perhaps it would not be wise."

Obi-Wan smirked for reasons he did not feel necessary in explaining. For one, he was tired of hiding on this force-forsaken rock called Tatooine, and secondly, he was tired of attempting and failing so miserably in changing the future.

Perhaps it was time to end it all.

Qui-Gon stepped to the side, apparently recognizing his padawan's decision, allowing the younger man to pass, speaking in a whisper in Obi-Wan's ear as he moved by.

"Before you decide to succumb to another bright idea, you should know that Anakin did not come alone."

Obi-Wan eyed his Master curiously, moved across the well-worn path in front of his home and looked over the cliff's edge.

In the distance, he could see two clone trooper transport ships and at least two dozen clone troopers tracking their way across the desert. The twin Tatooine moons were glinting off of their white armor. Just ahead of them, moving like a shadow across the sand, was a black-robed individual, his red lightsaber glowing at his side.

"Follow me."

This time, Obi-Wan did not hesitate as he pursued his Master around to the back of his home, scurrying up into the stony hills to hide in a cave that was camoflouged amongst the boulders.

Crouching down, Obi-Wan watched as his former padawan ransacked and burned down his home far below.

He and Qui-Gon sat quietly, Obi-Wan holding his shields tight in order to conceal his presence from his former apprentice. He looked at Qui-Gon and released a sigh. He didn't need to ask this time what had happened and was thankful that when Qui-Gon started speaking, he did so without any sarcasm or accusations evident in his voice.

"When you convinced Shmi Skywalker to not allow me to take her son, I had planned on staying in Mos Espa to try and convince her to let him go, but I never made it back to the ship."

"Maul." Obi-Wan said into the darkness. "You fought him, alone."

Qui-Gon nodded briefly. "You had left the ship and gone back into town, I suppose to ensure that Anakin's mother didn't change her mind."

His Master's blue hazy gaze locked onto Obi-Wan's. "After leaving me in the desert to die, Maul went back to the ship and killed everyone aboard. He took the queen back to Naboo to the sign the treaty. Of course, Padmé refused, and she was assassinated."

"And Anakin?" Obi-Wan could have guessed the rest, but he had to hear the words.

"Maul's Master sent him back to Tatooine to retrieve Anakin. Sidious had sensed him in the Force and took him to train as his apprentice."

Obi-Wan held up his hand to try and stop Qui-Gon from speaking, but his Master continued, ignoring his silent plea.

"Maul came back to Tatooine and took Anakin. He tortured and killed Shmi before the boy's very eyes. From that moment, Anakin was consumed by his hatred and his anger, and by the darkside. He vowed to destroy the Jedi."

"And where was I this entire time?"

A small sympathetic smile creased the older Jedi's face.

"Mourning, mostly. Your guilt in misusing the Force, and leaving me alone to face Maul, not to mention allowing the queen and her escort to be overtaken, was too much for you to bear. After taking my body back to the Temple, you left the Jedi and were never heard from again. You've been hiding here on Tatooine. Anakin has been searching for you for a long time."

"For me? Why?" Obi-Wan glanced back out the mouth of the cave to see the transport ships creating whirlwinds of dust as they began their ascent from the planet.

"He blames you for the death of his mother. Apparently Maul discovered your mental suggestion during her torture. He believes that if he had been allowed to be trained as a Jedi, his mother would not have died."

Obi-Wan's head dropped into his open hands as he fell to his rear on the cave floor, leaning backward against the wall.

"That's it!" He exclaimed with an outcast of his hands. "I quit. I can't do this any more. I'm just making things worse."

Qui-Gon, still in his crouching posture, moved out of the cave and then stood to his full height.

"You must do what you think is right, Obi-Wan, of course."

He then turned to the young Jedi and smiled genlty as the cool evening desert breeze whisked his spirit away.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Obi-Wan spent the better part of the next day rummaging through what was left of his meager belongings, most of which had been torched beyond recognition. He wasn't even sure what he was looking for. The life he had known before this Force-induced nightmare was beginning to become distorted by the various alternate realities he had created.

He glanced over toward the low sitting area by the window. At one point, he had draped the gray poncho his Master had worn on Tatooine over the back of the seat. It was a purely sentimental gesture as it was the only thing he possessed that belonged to Qui-Gon. He doubted it was even here any more.

Obi-Wan crouched down to reach for a scorched wooden box underneath one of the seats, hoping that somehow its contents were undisturbed. In his original life, the box had held a few precious mementos and holo-images. One of them had been of himself and Qui-Gon at a celebratory dinner on a planet he now couldn't remember the name of, and another of himself, Anakin, and Queen Amidala on the steps of the Theed palace following the Freedom Parade.

Obi-Wan lifted the box lid, expecting to find the images inside to be nothing but ashes, but slumped in disappointment when he discovered the box was empty.

Of course it was. In this life, he had fled the Jedi as a coward and Padme had been murdered. The Freedom Parade had never even occurred.

It seemed that no matter what he did, what changes he tried to make, Padme was the one who had suffered the most. And she never deserved it.

"I'm so sorry." Obi-Wan whispered in despair, falling sideways onto the dusty and ash-laden floor of his home and for the first time in what felt like at least four lifetimes, he slept.

When he awoke, the orange suns of Tatooine had moved to sit just above the horizon and the last colored filament of green was streaking across the barren desert sky.

Obi-Wan stood and straightened up his tunics, strolled slowly out to the cliff's edge and prepared to make his final decision.

A dreamless sleep had eased his mind somewhat and allowed him to have a better focus on what he needed to do.

Nothing.

It was now obvious to him that everything that had originally transpired had done so according to the will of the Force, no matter how badly he wished for it to be different.

He couldn't see the future as Master Yoda could, especially with the darkside clouding the Force. Who was to say that things would not get better? And was the past really so bad? Aside from the tragic events that had occurred in his life, there had been moments of joy and memories that he cherished. If he changed the past, those moments would vanish as if they had never existed.

He focused on one such moment now; standing at his Master's side – before Anakin -- before the darkside. When he first arrived on Naboo, and where he first met young Padme Amidala. A remarkable young woman in no matter which timeframe they met.

He thought he knew her, but suddenly realized he didn't really now her at all. Perhaps he could rectify that now.

"No." Obi-Wan said as he kicked a few pebbles off the cliff. It was too late for that. It was time to let the Force decide his path, which obviously was the one he had chosen to take in the first place.

Obi-Wan brushed off his tunics, took a deep, calming breath and mentally reached for the green ribbon trailing across the sky, which responded immediately to his call.

This was his last chance.

He would go back to the beginning. Back to Naboo. But this time around, he would not interfere.

No matter what.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

It was difficult at first for Obi-Wan to act and react as he had originally. He cringed as he recalled some of the things that he had said to his Master. Qui-Gon had been correct in his sternness on most occasions. As a senior padawan, Obi-Wan had been far too outspoken and opinionated. No matter if he considered his view of the Force to be the most appropriate. There was no right or wrong. There was more to the Force than just light and dark.

He stared at Qui-Gon as he presented Anakin to the Jedi Council once more and suggested that Obi-Wan was ready for his trials.

Qui-Gon held a different view than most of the council members when it came to the Force. His view was even different than Obi-Wan's, but it didn't mean that his Master was wrong. It just meant that he relied more on the Living Force, while most of the council members and Obi-Wan relied on the Unifying Force for guidance.

The Living Force provided his Master a more intense focus on the present and what he could do to have the most impact on the moment. And at this moment, his Master was certain of Anakin's place within the Force.

It was his dedication to the Force that drove Qui-Gon to stand by his convictions no matter what the council said, the Jedi Code dictated, or even what his own padawan thought.

Obi-Wan grinned slightly as the meeting ended just as it had before. Anakin's future with the Jedi was put on hold and the Jedi were once more given the responsibility of protecting and escorting the queen back to Naboo, and finding and destroying the sith warrior they had encountered on Tatooine.

As Obi-Wan walked with Qui-Gon out of the council chambers, he looked on his Master with a newfound respect and love, if that were possible.

The actions and words of Master that had once caused him pain were now understood. But all too soon, just when Qui-Gon's aloof nature was becoming clear to him, his time was cut inevitably short by the quick thrust of a red light saber.

Once more, Obi-Wan held his Master's dying body, gave him his vow to train Anakin, and wept as he cradled the beloved head in his arms.

The smoke from the flames burning his Master's body crept up through the opening of the Nubian pyre. After answering Anakin's question and promising he would some day be a Jedi, the realization of what the boy had been through suddenly occurred to Obi-Wan. The young boy was only nine years old. Taken from his mother, thrust into a battle he probably didn't even understand and now forced to watch as the body of the one man who befriended him burned before his very eyes.

Obi-Wan's heart filled with sympathy, but not for himself. Before, he had been too wrapped up in his own grief to even notice that the boy was worried and afraid, as he had every right to be. He quietly slipped an arm about Anakin's shoulders and offered the comfort and support the boy obviously needed as Anakin immediately leaned into the crook of Obi-Wan's shoulder and began to cry.

The next day was the Freedom Parade, and Obi-Wan had begun to explain to Anakin the traditions of a Jedi Padawan. But this time, he shared with the boy the story of his very first padawan cut.

The electroshaver in his hand hummed as he carefully trimmed over Anakin's right ear.

"I came to live at the Temple when I was three years old. The crèche master at the time was Jedi Renault. A very quiet and humble older gentleman. I hate to admit that I tried his patience."

Obi-Wan swept the shears up the side of Anakin's skull as the young lad watched his golden locks fall to the floor.

"How?"Anakin asked in a shaky voice.

"Well, every time he would set aside his comb or shears, I would levitate them across the room out of his reach."

A slight giggle escaped from the youngster. "He must have gotten really mad."

"He wasn't very happy with me." Obi-Wan replied as he set aside the shaver and commenced to plait the boy's short padawan braid. "It was the first and shortest padawan cut of my life. I was nearly bald by the time he finished. I think he did it to teach me a lesson."

Obi-Wan reached to a table and picked up a small mirror, handing it to Anakin, who beamed as he observed his new haircut and braid, marking him as a Jedi Padawan.

The young boy put the mirror down slowly and turned to face his Master, a small frown now in place. Obi-Wan knew what he was going to say before he said it. They had had this conversation before. But this time, he couldn't brush Anakin's emotions away with a careless reply.

"Master Obi-Wan?"

"Yes, padawan?" Obi-Wan smiled as he met the boy's blue, saddened gaze.

"When you came to live with the Jedi, did you miss your mother?"

Obi-Wan knelt down to the child's height as he sat upon the stool. "I would like to say yes, Anakin, but the truth is, I don't remember her. I respect her though, for allowing me the opportunity to become a Jedi."

The boy's expression did not change and Obi-Wan realized that his comment had been very similar to what he had said before. How could he have been so callous tohis feelings?

"Listen, Anakin." Obi-Wan continued haltingly. "Perhaps we can send your mother a holomessage and let her know how you are doing. And maybe when we take some leave from the Temple, we can go visit her. Would you like that?"

A bright smile appeared on the young boy's face right before he threw his small arms around Obi-Wan's neck. "Yes, Master Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan's heart filled with joy from being able to ease some of his padawan's worries.

The council might not approve of his decision, but then what the council didn't know, wouldn't hurt them, he supposed.

He smiled as the thought occurred to him that his new outlook on life may not make the Jedi Council necessarily pleased, but Qui-Gon would definitely be proud.


	17. Chapter 17

AN: Finally! Some ObiDala! Thanks for your patience! Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

Obi-Wan checked on his sleeping apprentice once more before he silently slipped out of their shared room in the Theed palace.

Sleep had eluded him and he thought perhaps a stroll through the palace gardens would help ease his mind. Checking with security before proceeding, he was awestruck as he stepped outside and crept along the stone walkway.

It wasn't the rows of moonlit shrubberybursting with fragrant white blossoms or the slender fruit-laden trees in the background that caught his eye. What had captured his attention was the Nubian sky. There appeared to be billions of stars against the black canvas above him. Much different from Coruscant, where the city-planet's towering buildings and active nightlife obscured their view. On missions, he was often too busy to take the time to simply admire the stars' beauty, and he took advantage of the opportunity whenever he could.

Mesmerized by the twinkling display, Obi-Wan literally stumbled into an object obstructing the path and glanced quickly down to a dainty figure draped in orange. His immediate reaction was to believe that one of the handmaidens shared his insomnia, but one look into the dark brown gaze before him, and he found himself bowing.

"Your majesty. I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. I hope I haven't disturbed you."

A small smile appeared on the young woman's face as she lifted the hood of the robe away from her head. She glanced at him curiously for a long time before she spoke.

"No formalities out here, if you please." She teased with a smile once more, but the question in her eyes was going unspoken, and Obi-Wan found himself wondering what it was she wanted to know.

"And besides, it's the middle of the night. I'm off duty." She winked slyly at him, catching Obi-Wan once more off guard with her familiarity. They had been through so much together, but had not had the time to talk much. He felt he really did not know her all that well. Not as well as he would have liked to, anyway.

She turned to the side and mostly out of habit, Obi-Wan offered her his arm. He noted she took it readily and not only that, but with both hands. And what was really shocking to the young man was the fact that he didn't mind. In fact, as he gazed quickly down to the small hands gripping his arm, he had to resist the urge to cover them with his own.

Surprising and slightly disturbing.

Definitely something to meditate on later.

The couple began walking along the path at a leisurely pace, taking deep breaths of the fragrant garden air.

"I was speaking with Anakin earlier today." The younger woman spoke up quietly and Obi-Wan was pleased to note that the quality of her voice added to the beauty of their surroundings.

So this is how it begins, he thought. A small seed of friendship that was planted before Anakin was even old enough to realize its implications. A seed that with time would grow into an entity that neither his apprentice nor the Senator could ignore. He recalled Anakin telling him about meeting Padme. The boy had said that she looked like an angel.

Obi-Wan glanced down to her features as a beam of moonlight played with the gathering moisture rising from the surface, creating a halo effect around her face.

He had to agree with the boy. If angels indeed had wings as the ancient myths proclaimed, then he wondered where Padme Amidala was hiding hers.

Obi-Wan focused his attention back to their conversation as the young woman continued speaking.

"He told me that you promised to take him to visit his mother."

"I did." Obi-Wan replied as he directed them toward a slate bench covered in a growth of overgrown vines.

"But I always believed that the Jedi were cut off from their natural families when they moved to the Temple."

"That's true – in most cases." Obi-Wan motioned for Padme to take a seat before joining her, and together they looked back up into the sky.

"But not in Anakin's case?" Padme questioned him.

"Anakin is…special." Obi-Wan admitted with a knowing smile. "He is too old to have been taken away from his mother without any future ill effects. His attachment to her runs too deep, as is natural for most parent/child relationships. I am only doing what I feel is best for the boy."

Obi-Wan continued glancing at the glittering constellations, but Padme's ongoing silence drew his attention downward. When he met her gaze, what he saw there stole his breath away. Her eyes were as dark as the night surrounding them, the twinkling stars reflecting on their surfaces like the moon on a midnight lake. Her grin widened and suddenly her eyes sparkled even more, but not from an outward source.

"Well, I think it's a wonderful idea. I was worried about him at first, but now…" She hesitated, laying a hand upon his arm. "I think you'll be a wonderful master, Obi-Wan."

Still trying to regain his capacity to breathe, Obi-Wan was suddenly thankful he couldn't or the loud gulp that was threatening to escape him would have as Padme leaned forward and brushed a kiss against his cheek.

"Good night." She whispered.

Before he could respond in any way, she had eased up off the bench and made her way back into the palace.

Obi-Wan inhaled a long and deep breath, letting it out slowly through pursed lips.

He definitely had a few things to meditate on later.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Obi-Wan took his place between his apprentice and Naboo's Governor, Sio Bibble, during the Freedom Parade later that morning, in which the Gungans and Nubians proclaimed peace between their two civilizations, at the same time declaring victory over the Trade Federation.

However, the grandeur of the festivities before him, the rumbling music played by the Gungan musicians, and the cheering of the massive crowd was not enough to steal his attention away from the young woman who stood center stage on the steps of the Theed palace. Dressed formally for the occasion, Obi-Wan had never seen her look more beautiful, and he simply could not take his eyes off of her.

She turned at one point and smiled at him and then winked at his apprentice. Obi-Wan shot a glance down to his padawan, but the boy simply looked up at him innocently,although somewhat suspiciously as if he were hiding something.

Following the ceremony, the royal court had invited the Jedi to attend a grand banquet as they had before. Obi-Wan walked beside his young charge as they followed directly behind the Jedi Council members and the leaders of Naboo, heading toward the banquet hall. He kept Padmé in his line of sight the entire time, blushing slightly when she turned and caught him staring at her.

"She likes you, ya' know."

"What?" Obi-Wan asked his apprentice as they continued walking.

"Padmé. She likes you."

"What are you talking about?" Obi-Wan asked as he slowed considerably, allowing the crowd behind them to move quickly past.

"She told me so. This morning after firstmeal when she took me to see the waterfalls."

The Jedi Master stopped and knelt to eye level with his apprentice, his look of concern confusing the young boy.

"What did she say exactly?"

Anakin frowned at the worried look on his master's face. Had he said something wrong?

"She asked me if I was worried about living at the Temple, and I told her I was a little."

"And?" Obi-Wan urged when Anakin paused.

"Then she said that I shouldn't worry because you were the best Jedi Master there was. I told her I knew that and then she got a funny look on her face, so I asked her if she liked you."

Once again the boy paused and Obi-Wan once more prompted him to speak with a raised eyebrow.

"She said she did. Very much."

Anakin waited as his master appeared to be lost in his thoughts. "Are you all right, Master?"

Obi-Wan stood abruptly, smoothed his tunics, looked down the hallway toward the banquet room, spun on his heel, and started walking the opposite direction. Anakin hesitated, but then obediently followed.

"Master Obi-Wan! Where are we going?"

"Back to Coruscant." The Jedi replied, not slowing his stride, causing the child to practically run to keep up with him.

"But I thought we were going to the banquet first!" The small boy exclaimed as they rounded the corner leading to the hangar where several of the chancellor's ships waited to take the Jedi back to the Temple.

"We're leaving now, Anakin." Obi-Wan motioned for the attendant to lower the loading ramp of one of the ships.

"But Master Obi-Wan. I didn't get to say goodbye to Padmé."

Obi-Wan stopped in his tracks on the steel platform and then turned to look down upon the face of his distraught padawan. He knelt once more and placed his hands on the thin shoulders.

"I'm sorry Anakin. You're right." He attempted a shaky smile. "I'll see if I can contact her to meet us here before we leave, but I need you to get on board now."

He smiled again as Anakin stood his ground, and then reached up and ruffled the boy's hair. "Everything's okay, Anakin. We were going to have to leave sooner or later. This will give us a chance to start your training that much earlier. All right?"

A small grin slowly appeared on the boy's face. "All right."

Obi-Wan watched his apprentice scamper up the ramp and into the ship, and then he reached for his comlink in order to request permission to leave the planet. He would also contact the queen's head of security to see if she would be willing to come and bid Anakin goodbye. Although he doubted she would. She was, after all, attending the celebration banquet.

Following his requests, Obi-Wan clipped the comlink back on his belt and waited.

"Damn." He muttered aloud. He wasn't going to interfere this time! What had he done?

Obi-Wan began pacing the hard gray hangar floor. If Padmé didn't fall in love with Anakin, it would be calamitous! There is no telling what would happen. He just couldn't take any risks. This was his last chance. He had to get out of here.

He heard Padmé's footfalls tapping across the floor in a rapid rhythm, almost as if she were running. He turned slowly to face her and she immediately slowed her pace, breathing rapidly when she spoke.

"I thought you were staying for the banquet."

"I'm afraid duty has called us back to Coruscant." Obi-Wan stated bluntly, biting his inner lip after he told the lie.

The young woman took one step forward. "I wish…" she began, but was interrupted by Anakin's appearance as the boy ran down the ramp to greet her.

"Padmé! We have to go, but I'm glad you came to say bye."

"Me too, Ani." Padmé replied as she ruffled the boy's spiked hair. "I'm sad to see you go." She then leaned down and hugged the child tightly.

"Take care of Obi-Wan for me." She whispered into his ear before she released him.

Anakin stood between his Master and the Queen of Naboo, his eyes glancing back and forth between them. Looks were being exchanged he did not quite comprehend. But it was obvious, even to him how much they liked each other. So why didn't they just kiss or something? Isn't that what people do when they like each other? Or at least talk. But neither of them were saying a word.

Instead, his Master turned and strode up and into the ship and Padmé turned and walked away.

Anakin continued looking at both of them, his lip curling in confusion.

"Grown ups." He huffed as he followed his master up the ramp and into the ship.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

A ripple across the training bond that Obi-Wan shared with his padawan awoke him from his sleep. The boy was experiencing another nightmare. His second since turning thirteen just a few months ago.

Rising quickly from the sleeping couch in the common room, Obi-Wan moved to Anakin's bedside to arouse the youth.

"Anakin. Wake up." Obi-Wan laid a hand gently on his restless apprentice's shoulder.

Anakin's eyes flew open at his master's touch and he gasped in several breaths, breathing rapidly before bringing his heart rate under control.

"Another nightmare?" Obi-Wan asked as he dabbed the sweat from the lad's brow with the sleeve of his tunic.

"Yes." Anakin admitted, trying to relax. "About my mother."

Obi-Wan waited for his padawan to catch his breath and regain his orientation before the younger boy sat up in the bed, running his hand through his sweat-dampened hair.

Over the last four years, Obi-Wan had realized that Anakin was much more attuned to the Force than any Jedi he had ever encountered; even himself. Along with that connection, came the gift of foresight. An ability to see things in the future. His last dream about his mother had been vague shadows of pain, but the fearful and concerned expression his apprentice now wore led Obi-Wan to believe that this vision had been much more explicit.

"When we visited her last quarter, did she mention being in any kind of trouble?"

"No. That's just it, Master. She seemed happy. But this dream," Anakin grimaced and closed his eyes as the vision replayed in his mind, "revealed suffering and death. Master, I think she's going to die."

"Anakin." Obi-Wan laid a hand upon his padawan's arm. "A Force vision does not necessarily mean that what you have seen will come to pass. It is merely a possibility of what can happen, if certain events go unchanged."

Obi-Wan looked on his apprentice and thoughtfully stroked his beard. "I tell you what. We'll go visit her again and make sure everything is all right. I'll see if we can take some leave after this tenth. You've got a break in exams coming up, don't you?"

"Yes." Anakin sighed, still looking distraught, glancing up at Obi-Wan with a persistent worry shadowing his features.

"What is it?" Obi-Wan asked him softly.

"Do you think that maybe there's some way that we can get her off Tatooine, so that she wouldn't have to be a slave any more?"

Obi-Wan sat up straight, contemplating the implications of such an action. Finally deciding that no harm could come from saving the poor woman from such a hard life, thus saving his padawan from worry, he shook his head. "I don't see why not."

When Anakin's expression changed to one of extreme relief, a broad smile appearing on his features, Obi-Wan felt a flood of joy emanating along their bond and he knew in his heart that he had made the right decision.

He tucked his apprentice back into bed and left the room, sliding the door shut behind him. Instead of going back to sleep himself however, he sat up the rest of the night trying to figure out how to save Shmi Skywalker.

He didn't have enough credits to buy her, and he couldn't just go to Tatooine and kidnap her. He supposed he could gamble for her, but the chances of winning such a bet certainly could only happen once, and Qui-Gon had already taken advantage of that.

When the rays of the Coruscant sun began to warm the room, he had still not figured out what he was going to do. And he had less than a week to do so.

In two days' time, the answer to his problem knocked on their door.

He opened the door and was surprised to see Senator Amidala standing there.

"Hello Master Kenobi." She greeted him with a smile and a tilt of her head.

Obi-Wan sighed in relief. So it was back to formalities. Good. "Senator Amidala." He bowed in return.

"Is Anakin here?"

"No he isn't. He's in class right now. Would you care to come in?"

"Care for a drink?" He asked next as she moved about the room, taking in the various mementos and décor on display.

"No thank you. I can't stay long. I came by actually to talk to you."

Uh oh, Obi-Wan thought as he swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat.

Padmé reached into a pouch that hung from the band around her waist and withdrew a velvet bag, handing it to Obi-Wan.

"Anakin told me that you are planning on going to Tatooine in order to save Shmi. I know that you don't have the money to buy her, so I would like to offer my help."

Obi-Wan took the bag and opened it. Inside were at least twenty-five thousand Tatooine credits; enough to purchase Anakin's mother from Watto, the Mos Espa shopkeeper who owned her.

"I don't know what to say." Obi-Wan finally stammered out as he felt the Force's persuasion to accept her offer.

"I do." Padmé responded before she swiftly approached the unprepared Jedi.

Too focused on the credits he held in his hand and how this gift had eradicated all of his problems in rescuing Shmi, he was caught completely off-guard when Padmé grabbed his face with both hands and pulled his head down to press her lips against his.

Eyes wide open, he stood still and allowed her soft mouth to move against him, slightly nibbling now, and much to his dismay, he found himself leaning forward to increase their pressure.

Surprisingly also adding to his dismay, the kiss ended and Padmé leaned back and opened her eyes in order to gauge his reaction. She wasn't sure what she expected him to say, but she wasn't about to let another chance like this slip away. It had been four years since her last.

But Obi-Wan didn't say anything. He dropped the bag full of credits he held to the floor and grabbed Padmé by the arms, pulling her almost roughly to him, claiming her mouth once more, but this time, with the pressure and depth that he craved.

The frustrations of the past four years, thoughts and dreams of her that he could do nothing about, he poured into the kiss, until Padmé whimpered from the intensity of it.

Obi-Wan pulled back, gasping for breath and lowered his forehead to hers, overcome with emotions he had suppressed for too long.

"What.." he gasped. "What did you want to say?"

"That I love you. That I've loved you all along." She whispered hoarsely before she was nearly suffocated in his embrace.

"Oh Padmé." Obi-Wan moaned into her hair. "I…."

Should he say it? Would he damn the entire universe if he did?

Cradling her face in his hands, Obi-Wan opened his mouth to speak the words he wanted so much to say, but was interrupted by an abrupt swirl of green light flashing before his eyes.

And then Padmé faded and the light grew brighter, and he realized with despair that the Force was transporting him back.

And he didn't want to go.

"No!" He screamed into the wave of color lapping about him. "I didn't get to tell her! No!"

He stumbled and found himself kneeling on a sandy outcropping over a rocky cliff's edge and discovered he was back on Tatooine.

"No." Obi-Wan sobbed as he fell face forward into the sand.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

The irritating grains of sand pressed into the pores of his skin as Obi-Wan lay prone in front of his Tatooine home. He hated sand. Couldn't stand the texture of it, but right now, he found that he really didn't care that his face was buried in it.

He didn't care about anything any more.

He wondered how long he could lie there exposed to the harsh desert elements before he either died of dehydration or an attack from Tusken raiders.

It just wasn't fair. Why was the Force torturing him like this?

So distraught was Obi-Wan, that the sound of an advancing ship wasn't enough to rouse him from his present position. That is, until he recognized its descent thrusters.

There was only one ship that he knew of whose engines sounded like that.

Obi-Wan wearily raised his head and crawled across the ground to peer down the cliff into the valley below, only to groan as he recognized Anakin's Jedi fighter making its landing. He then saw Anakin himself exit the vehicle and began walking directly toward his home.

"Fine." Obi-Wan spat the word out along with the sand that had maneuvered its way into his mouth.

He picked himself up off the desert floor and hurried into his home, reached out his hand to call his lightsaber to him, but his call went unanswered, and his grip was empty.

As was his home.

It was the same simple, single-room dwelling that he remembered before, but it was completely devoid of furniture or any sign of his previous existence.

Confused, he was startled as his apprentice appeared in the doorway.

"Master!" Anakin shouted with a smile, following which, the young man rushed up to Obi-Wan and threw his arms around him, embracing him tightly.

Obi-Wan stepped back in shock and looked on his former student with profound wonder. He was dressed in the Jedi tunics and robes he remembered, but there was something uniquely different about the boy.

A trickling of emotion across the previously quiescent training bond he had once shared with his padawan revealed the feeling that Obi-Wan was finding difficult to distinguish.

Anakin was happy.

"Obi-Wan?"

A voice that had once caused him pleasure now sent a shiver along his spine, and he turned slowly to find Padmé standing in a doorway that was not present before.

She looked well, Obi-Wan thought as his eyes traveled over her slowly.

And pregnant.

At least six months, he noted before stumbling backwards into the wall behind him.

He was suddenly ready to renounce his former life, his Jedi training, his vows – everything.

The Force was cruel. Too cruel to play this kind of joke on him.

Not only was he not allowed to share his feelings with the woman he loved before he was literally ripped from her arms, but he was plunged back into a reality that was far worse than any of the ones before.

Instead of just having to deal with his apprentice's obsession over the young woman standing before him, this time around, he had to do so while being in love with her himself.

He just couldn't do it.

Perhaps the rainy season on Dagobah was over. He would go live there instead. Any place would be better than this scorched rock.

But wait. Why were Padmé and Anakin here? And where was Qui-Gon?

Before he exiled himself to live in a swamp, there were a few things he needed to know. He was about to ask his first question, when Padmé approached him and placed a delicate caress across his face.

And he discovered he couldn't speak.

"Are you all right?"

"Fine." He stammered out, surprised that his tongue could form the word. The recent memory of kissing her only added to the surreal nature of the moment and the confusion written on his face.

"Master, I told you not to vacation on Tatooine. I think the heat is finally getting to you."

Anakin stepped up and put his arms about the couple, ushering them through the doorway in which Padmé had appeared.

Beyond the opening was a short flight of stairs leading down into what Obi-Wan would call an oasis. The large room was flooded with sunshine from overhead skylights, the large assortment of various plant life basking in the rays. In the center of the room was a large working fountain that resembled Nubian architecture, with a matching ornate table and bench nearby.

Obi-Wan was numbly led to the table by Anakin, who continued in a teasing tone that the Jedi Master could not recall his padawan ever using before. "When you told me that you had purchased a place on Tatooine to be used as a vacation home, I thought you were crazy. But you've made the place real nice."

"Thanks Ani." Padmé replied before she laughed softly as Anakin helped himself to a bowl of fruit on the table. Padmé then left the two men alone to go to the kitchen for drinks.

Obi-Wan sat paralyzed, utterly perplexed and trying to sort out everything in his mind.

If he had purchased a vacation home on Tatooine, maybe Padmé had decorated it for him as a friend. And maybe she and Anakin were just here for a visit. A short visit would be best. He didn't think he could stand watching them together.

He leaned forward on one propped up arm, his mind a jumble of questions, watching Anakin munch away on a pali.

"When you do finally tire of all this sand and sun, Chancellor Valorum was telling me about a sweet little place for sale on Alderaan." Anakin continued.

"Chancellor Valorum?" Obi-Wan interrupted in a daze. "Don't you mean Palpatine?"

Anakin immediately stopped chewing, swallowing his last bite in one gulp. When he began speaking, he did so slowly, with enunciated words and a somewhat patronizing, but worried tone. "No. We arrested Palpatine two years ago after we exposed him as being a sith lord. Don't you remember? You were there."

Anakin took another bite. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Obi-Wan nodded his head slowly in affirmation but to tell the truth, he wasn't quite sure.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

The door chime rang out and Anakin immediately hopped up from the bench to see who was at the door.

"I got it!" He called out over his shoulder as he skipped up the stairs and disappeared through the foyer.

Obi-Wan sat on the bench mulling over the facts of his current situation. At least the facts that he understood so far.

Maybe this existence wasn't so bad after all. Maybe he could adjust. It wasn't like he had a choice. He had used his last Force passage and he was stuck in this reality, no matter if he liked it or not.

Just deal with it, he chided himself.

But could he? Anakin and Padmé were together and were soon to have a child. Obi-Wan felt sick to his stomach at the thought.

But the boy was happy and he was still a Jedi. There was no trace of the dark side in him at all.

And if this was the price Obi-Wan had to pay for that assurance, then so be it. He would just have to get used to things as they were.

Padmé moved from the kitchen at that moment, carrying a tray of drinks to the table. As Obi-Wan watched her approach, the yearning in his heart for her threatened to completely undo him. He cast his eyes back down to the table and thoughtlessly reached up to run his fingers over his mouth where her lips had caressed them not less than an hour ago.

He could still taste her. He could still smell her. And it was maddening.

Releasing a heavy sigh, Obi-Wan resolutely sat up and straightened his tunics, smiling at his beautiful visitor, noting to himself that being with child made her even more beautiful than before.

He was about to stand and run from the room to escape his tortuous thoughts when Anakin reappeared with their company.

Obi-Wan did stand then to greet them, and it surprised him when he greeted them by name.

He knew exactly who they were and where they lived and he couldn't figure out how he knew that.

"Owen." Obi-Wan firmly shook the young man's hand and then turned to Owen's wife and bowed. "Beru. How are you both?"

"We're fine Obi-Wan." The young woman answered before following Anakin's motion to join them at the table.

Padmé quickly returned to the kitchen to bring out two more drinks.

"And how are you, Obi-Wan?" Owen asked as he reached for the offered refreshment.

"Fine." Obi-Wan answered not quite as assuredly as he had hoped to and didn't miss Owen's suspicious raised-eyebrow glance toward his padawan.

"Is he?" Owen asked Anakin.

"He seems a little confused today, actually." Anakin winked at Obi-Wan and then smiled broadly at their visitors.

"It's understandable. When Beru and I are so lucky, I will probably have some of those days myself."

What? Obi-Wan thought to himself as he watched Owen place a kiss to his young wife's cheek.

It seemed the more he heard, the more confused he became.

Settle down, Kenobi. Be patient. The answers will come. His inner voice consoled him.

"How's Shmi Ani?" It was Beru who now questioned his apprentice, and the younger Jedi beamed with pride when he spoke.

"She and Cliegg have just moved into an apartment closer to the Senate Building. It's a really nice place."

"And a shorter commute." Owen noted.

"Definitely." Anakin smiled.

"How long will you be staying on Tatooine this time?" Owen asked, taking another sip of the cool blue liquid.

"I've got to get into Mos Espa to oversee another election and then it's back to Coruscant. But I'm sure I'll be back out here in a couple of months. The Council has made this assignment priority, and as long as the Hutts are rumored to be in the area, there is still some danger." He smiled again, glancing up toward Padmé who appeared from the kitchen.

"Yes, your mother has been keeping you quite busy." It was Padmé who made the comment as she moved into the room with the additional drinks. She placed them on the table and sat between Anakin and Obi-Wan, opposite their guests.

"No kidding. When she vowed to rid the galaxy of slavery, I thought that maybe it was just another one of those empty political promises."

"You know her better than that." Padmé elbowed the younger Jedi in the arm.

"Yeah, I guess I do. She was just lucky to have the Senate's support." Anakin noted as he grabbed another piece of fruit from the bowl in front of him.

"They sometimes support a senator's agenda, and other times.." Padmé faded off with a wistful sigh and Anakin chuckled softly as he took a bite from the fruit he held.

Obi-Wan dropped his head back onto his hand and tried to follow the conversation, but once more he was getting lost.

Shmi Skywalker was a senator? From what planet? Tatooine? But that would mean that Tatooine would had to have become a member of the Republic.

Fascinating.

Owen finished his drink and stood up. "We saw your ship come in Ani and I was wondering if you might stop by and look at one of my evaporators that's malfunctioning. I would have asked Obi-Wan, but I was pretty sure negotiating with the thing wouldn't fix it." Owen chuckled as he looked down at the older Jedi, who basically stared at him straight-faced in return. Owen looked back to Anakin with a concerned and worried brow. Anakin stood and patted his step-brother on the back, shook his head and ushered the visitors back toward the entrance.

"Don't' worry about him. I'll stop by when I'm finished in town and we'll see what we can do."

"Thanks Ani." Beru stated, placing a kiss to the Jedi's cheek.

"See you later Padmé." Owen called out from the door as Beru waved and the two headed down the path in the cliff toward their home in the distance.

Anakin turned back. "I have to be going too. The elections close in less than an hour and I need to oversee the counting of the ballots."

Padmé rose and followed Anakin to the outer doorway. Obi-Wan walked behind her in a confused stupor.

"After I help Owen, I have to be getting back to the Temple."

"You're leaving so soon?" Obi-Wan questioned, not sure why he was concerned with Anakin's announcement, other than the fact that he assumed Padmé would be leaving with him.

"Yes, Master. Some of us aren't lucky enough to get a three-month paternity leave. I'll be back in a couple of months. And Padmé, you have to promise to contact me as soon as your labor begins. I don't want to miss the birth of my godson."

Anakin pulled the hood of his robe over his head, placed a kiss to Padmé's cheek and hugged Obi-Wan. Holding the older Jedi at arm's length, he frowned slightly. "Master? Maybe you should go in and take a nap. You look terrible."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Anakin's form moved across the desert plain heading towards his ship beyond their home as Obi-Wan and Padmé watched him leave.

An array of emotions swirled through Obi-Wan's mind as he glanced up into the Tatooine sky just now beginning to change with the colors of the suns' setting.

Still stunned by Anakin's words, his eyes focused on a small point of brightly colored light in the distance just before a loud boom echoed through the valley, a large prism of colors bursting forth, rocketing toward him. As the colors of blue, red, purple and green wrapped around him, Obi-Wan was aware of an acute dizziness just before he felt himself fall to the ground.

Flashes of memories of his life passed before his eyes in random order and in random shades.

He saw everything. Everything that he was wondering about, everything that he didn't know.

And he remembered it all.

Saving Shmi from Tatooine. Helping her rally support for the abolishment of slavery on the planet, thus opening up a door for Tatooine's admittance to the Republic, with Shmi ultimately being elected as its senatorial ambassador. The Jedi becoming involved to banish the Hutts and establish a government on the desert planet, with he and Anakin being assigned to the mission.

He remembered the bond he shared with his apprentice. A different bond than the one they had shared before. They were much closer, trusting, honest, and open with one another. They shared a brotherly love that went both ways this time. Anakin told him everything.

His apprentice had approached him with the knowledge of Palpatine's treason and together they approached the council, and together they defeated him and rejoiced when his attempts at overthrowing the Republic were thwarted.

He saw Anakin approach the Jedi Council and vehemently argue the Code with them concerning the rule of attachments. Traced along a ribbon of green, he heard Yoda's reticent reply that for the Jedi Master who had defeated a sith warrior and discovered and arrested a sith lord, surely they could make an exception.

And allow Padmé and Obi-Wan to marry.

In shades of blue, he saw their wedding on Naboo, Anakin standing up as his best man with a broad smile on his face. His happiness for them was apparent. It seemed that his affection for Padmé was diverted to be one of friendship and a firm loyalty similar to a sibling relationship.

He remembered his honeymoon, the feel of Padmé's soft skin beneath his calloused hands, the sweet smell of her, the warmth of her body as he held her, the moans escaping them both as he entered her. The words they spoke in passion. And then the words she spoke a year later and the joy shared when they discovered they were to have a child.

"Obi-Wan!"

Her voice once more rang in his ears, and Obi-Wan struggled to rid himself of the invasion of colors and visions that were bombarding him, only to open his eyes to a different type of vision. His heart leapt in his chest as he realized that this vision was real. She was real. And she was his.

"Obi-Wan! Are you okay?"

"Yes. I think so. I got a little dizzy."

Padmé helped as best she could to get him to his feet. "You haven't gotten dizzy since the first few months of the pregnancy, during all that awful morning sickness. I think you're the only man who truly understands what it feels like to be pregnant." She teased until noticing the look that her husband was giving her, and then she sobered quickly.

"What is it?"

Obi-Wan shakily reached up and caressed her cheek with the backs of his fingers, tracing her bottom lip with his thumb. "Nothing." He whispered, his emotions almost choking him. "It's just that I love you. I love you so much."

A small surprised grin turned up Padmé's mouth until it was covered with Obi-Wan's in a kiss that was anything but chaste. It was probing, demanding, insistent, and lengthened until Padmé experienced her own dizziness and her legs threatened to give out beneath her. Responding to her need for oxygen, Obi-Wan pulled back and quickly drew her into a strong embrace.

Padmé chuckled into his shoulder and Obi-Wan released her just enough so that she could glance up into his face.

"What?" He asked her.

"You haven't kissed me like that in weeks."

"Well. I'm just making up for lost time." Obi-Wan replied as he dropped a kiss to the top of her head and keeping one arm about her waist, turned them both to watch the sunset.

The sky was filling with the oranges, yellows, and pinks that typically made up a Tatooine sunset, with the blue of the daytime sky making its retreat above. Just as the last of the blue shade disappeared, the face of Qui-Gon Jinn made it's appearance within it, a loving smile revealed on his face. Obi-Wan smiled back in response and breathed deeply in contentment, before his Master's face vanished along with the day.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Padmé commented in a whisper.

Obi-Wan leaned his head over and placed a gentle kiss to his wife's temple.

"It's perfect."

-End-

* * *

AN: Wow. Thanks for the response to this story everybody. I seem to have struck a chord in some of you concerning the possibilities of Obi-Wan changing his past. 

I had such a good time writing this fic. Thanks again for your support and be sure to follow me on over to Wayward Desire. : )


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